Planit: The Omni Evolution Game

Ever felt like playing God and creating a world from scratch? That is exactly what Planit: The Omni Evolution Game offers! Originally released as a special inclusion with Omni Magazine in 1991, this game is a fascinating journey through biology and geology. Forget warfare and direct conflict; here, your goal is to act as 'Gaia' for your own planet and guide life through the millennia.

The gameplay is divided into crucial phases that mimic the logic of life on Earth. First, you must focus on the absolute basics of survival: filling your planet's atmosphere with oxygen. Without it, nothing happens, right? Once the environment is minimally habitable, the real fun begins. You enter the evolution phase, where you must manage your hand of cards to develop increasingly complex animals, following a logical biological sequence. The ultimate prize? Being the first player to reach the pinnacle of the evolutionary scale and develop 'Evolutionary Humans.'

The game uses an individual map to represent each player's planet, where the cards you play shape the environment and dictate the pace of evolution. It is an exercise in planning and patience, requiring you to balance environmental preparation with the speed of biological adaptation. If you are the type of player who loves science, biology, or simply wants to feel the weight of controlling an entire ecosystem's destiny, Planit provides a very solid thematic experience for a title of its era. It is a niche classic for those seeking something beyond the usual tropes found in conventional card games.